Los Alamitos' Thomas Heib named Dream Team track and field boys Athlete of the Year

Athlete of the Year: Thomas Heib, Los Alamitos, Senior

The allure of a chest tattoo served as Thomas Heib’s motivation to qualify for the CIF State meet in the 800 meters last year. This year the Los Alamitos High School senior wanted redemption from that seventh-place finish.

Heib responded with a second-place finish for the highest placing ever by a Los Alamitos ruer in a season-best time of 1:51.52.

“Last year was great, but my main goal was to medal at state,” Heib said. “I hope I left a defining mark and standard.”

There is certainly one on his chest with a tattoo of a skeleton with track wings ruing the width of his torso. Heib had a wager with his mother to get the permission to get the tattoo if he qualified for the state meet last year. Heib now has three tattoos after adding one on each arm. He has no plans to get any others until after finishing his college career at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. At SLO, Heib will join Los Alamitos grad Katie Izzo, the 2015 Dream Team boys Athlete of the Year.

Heib, who was also recruited by UC Santa Barbara, USC, Long Beach State and Kansas State, was undefeated in the 800 in Sunset League competition to win for the second year in a row. He placed fourth in the CIF Southe Section Division 1 finals and seventh in the CIF-SS Masters meet to qualify for the CIF State meet.

As a junior, Heib won the Masters meet in a school-record 1:51.49, but he ran almost two seconds slower in the state meet in placing seventh a week later. This year, Heib’s main focus was the state meet.

“His ability to reach down deep when needed are what have set him apart from most ruers,” Los Alamitos distance coach Jeff Tribole said.

That was evident at the Arcadia Invitational the last two years where Heib ran the 800 anchor on the victorious 1,600 sprint medley relay. With Heib as the only ruer back from the 2015 team, Los Alamitos’ team of seniors Jacob Gasser (200), Jose Rubio (200), Holden Edmondson (400) set a meet, Orange County and nation-leading time of 3:26.36.

“It was one of my best moments of the year to make history and come through the way we did with a better time,” Heib said. “The accomplishment is way greater than an individual race.”

COACH OF THE YEAR: Christine Barboza, Paramount

Barboza is retiring after 25 years of coaching at Paramount, including the last 21 years as boys and girls coach.

Paramount has produced 10 CIF-SS champions and 14 CIF State meet qualifiers during her tenure, including 2016 Division I champions Micqwuan Wright in the triple jump and Ailini Williams in the girls discus, and 11 section ruer-ups.

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Barboza has guided the Pirates to 20 San Gabriel Valley League titles, 12 boys and eight girls, and had more than 400 athletes qualify for the CIF-SS preliminaries. School records in 15 of 16 of both boys and girls events have been set since Barboza began coaching at Paramount in 1992.

Barboza, who founded the Paramount Relays in 2009, has been a member of the CIF Track and Field advisory committee since 2006 and was the 2009 Califoia Coaches Association Girls Track Coach of the Year.

FIRST TEAM

Samuel Ayala, Gahr, Sr. 1,600

Ryan Coy, Los Alamitos, Sr., discus

Andrew Fowler, Los Alamitos, Sr., pole vault

Angel Miranda, Paramount, Sr., shot put

Paul Odudo, Bellflower, Sr., long jump

Jose Rubio, Los Alamitos, Sr., 110 hurdles, long jump

Jaiden Woodbey, St. John Bosco, So., 110 Hurdles

Micqwuan Wright, Paramount, Sr. Triple Jump

Gahr 4x400 relay (Alonso Davis, Jr.; Larry Hudson, Jr.; Jorge Gracian, Jr.; Christian Shakir, So.)

Poly 4x400 relay (Daveon Howard, Sr.; Kaelin Humphrey, Sr.; Cameron Brown, Sr.; Zion Bowens, Jr.)

Warren 4x400 relay (Devionate Daniels, So.; Julian Thomas, Jr.; Michelangelo Zavala, Sr.; Adan Castellanos, So.)

Wilson 4x400 relay (Jacobi Hardy, Jr.; Ian Isa, So.; Jaylen Bradley, Jr.; Christopher Hall, Jr.)

SECOND TEAM

Colby Corcoran, St. John Bosco, So, 3,200

Jamio Douglas, Poly, Jr. long jump

Anthony Johnson, Sr. Poly, Jr., 110 hurdles

Kyle Murray, St. John Bosco, Jr., shot put

Oscar Payez, Downey, Sr., discus

De’varriea Oles, Poly, Jr. 110 hurdles

Michael Polk, Valley Christian, Jr., high jump

Travis Smiley, Valley Christian, Sr., long jump

Tyler Smith, St. Anthony, Jr., 300 hurdles

Gahr 4x100 relay (Anthony Mullins, Jr.; Davis; Shakir; Eric Renfroe, Jr.)

Lynwood 4x400 relay (Andrew Villegas, So.; Malik Perkins, Jr.; Demorea Carter, Sr.; Frank Johnson, Sr.)

Poly 4x100 relay (Tariq Haess, Jr., Bowens; Malachi Tolliver, So.; Aaron Shampklin, Jr.)

St. John Bosco 4x100 relay (Berkeley Holman, Jr.; Jared Harell, So.; Terrell Bynum, Jr.; Re-Al Mitchell, So.)